Enter Any Tent
by Pica Britanica
Summary: Welcome, enter any tent you wish. What will you choose first?
1. A Quick Guide

_**Le Cirque des R**__**ê**__**ves**_

_Opens and Nightfall_

Welcome friend, welcome to the Night Circus. This collection of tents will allow you to meander through the circus at your own leisure, choose any tent to begin with, read any tent you wish, discard any that don't look interesting. This is how you would navigate a circus, and this is how best to navigate this. The tents are written in the same style as Erin Morganstern, the fabulous author of Night Circus, and my absolute idol. Please enjoy and let me know if there is any particular tent you would like to see if it isn't here yet, I thrive off feedback and want to make it as good as possible.

Note: 6 and 7 must be read in that order. Thank you.

_Closes at Dawn_


	2. Tamed Danger

You step inside the striped tent following the small throng of people already entering. As you take your seat you notice for the first time the four big cats sitting in the centre of the circle, each impossibly still. The majestic white lion is the closest, sitting on a small platform, his mane as pure white as the paper of your ticket, still carefully held in your hand.

A little further away are a pair of almost identical snow leopards, their piercing blue eyes the only colour on the monochrome stage. Furthest from you, lounging elegantly on the sandy ground is a jet black panther. Suddenly, the animals all look towards a curtain in the side of the tent, a man in a white costume and a black waistcoat enters. On his arm is a woman in a stunning black costume with a white waistcoat to match her partners.

The pair takes to the centre of the circle and without a word of command; the cats begin to move towards them, moving in perfect synchronisation. A flick of the man's wrist and the four beasts leap into the air, landing gracefully on the opposite side to their last positions.

They are magically elegant in the way they move, prowling in a circle around the tamers. Another unheard command and the panther splits off, moving out towards the audience, towards you. After a moment of panic you realise it means you no harm, as it rests its head on your knee and closes its eyes. A glance at the cat tamer assures you that it is safe to touch the beautiful beast. The panther purrs at your gentle touch, its tail flicking from side to side. A bubble of laughter rises in your throat as the panther nuzzles against you, seemingly enjoying the attention.

At the other side of the circle the lion is laid at the feet of a young man. He glances up at you and shrugs light heartedly. The female tamer whistles and the cats move away, back to the centre. The panther brushes against her and she strokes along its strong shoulders and down its back. As her hand moves away from the silky fur you realise she is holding something – it's a small origami panther – an identical miniature of the panther you have just touched yourself.

The woman walks over to you, along with the two snow leopards. She hands you the paper panther. She gives a flourished bow, the leopards follow suit, and as she rises, both tamer and cats disappear! The centre stage is completely empty, the panther and lion have disappeared with the male trainer also.

You sit in silent awe for a moment before people begin to rise and leave the tent; the hushed, magical atmosphere is broken as they begin to chatter about how well the creatures must have been tamed. You look down at your gift from the circus, the tiny, beautiful replica of a cat you will never forget.


	3. Flying High

You enter the tent and are surprised to find no seats. Instead what you find is a towering system of poles and ropes high above you. A group of people has already gathered beneath the spectacle, and you decide to go join them. After another moment of pondering you realise there is no net separating the performers from the ground, or indeed the audience. A mild chatter has begun among the group as they tell stories of the tents they have been to.

Gradually silence blankets the tent, as all faces turn upwards. You follow suit and look up to see movement high above you. A pair of acrobats are moving about, unclipping ropes and black and white ribbons that spiral through the air as they throw them to each other. After a small amount of preshow action the stage is set, and four more acrobats seem to appear from nowhere. The first leaps into the air without any safety equipment and expertly catches a ribbon which hangs in the vast space; she spins through the air, wrapping the white ribbon around her waist as she does.

Another performer swings through the air, her jet black hair flying through the air behind her. She drops down on her rope, until she is only attached to it by her leg. She spins around and you think she is about to fall from her perch high in the sky – but she stops inches from your face! She smiles at you and gives you a wink before rolling herself up until she is folded in half and grabs the rope. She pulls herself up and twists around the rope with her whole body. Around her you realise, the other performers are in action. Perfectly synchronised, they all weave their way around the structure of patterned poles and platforms.

As you look up into the heights of the tent you can see that a picture is forming. The weaved ribbons and ropes begin to look like a night sky from this distance. Apparently other audience members agree, whispers and gasps can be heard as they realise the picture. You smile to yourself, and watch as the last acrobat land expertly on the platform high above.

Stunned silence follows, you aren't sure whether to clap… and then, all of a sudden, the picture is destroyed as the performance begins again. This time a male performer catches your eye as he dives through the air, the rope wrapped around his waist as he falls to the ground. Suddenly, he twists and catches the rope, as he does this another acrobat swings past him. And in the blink of an eye, he seems to have disappeared!

You look around frantically, and find him exchanging ribbons with the black haired woman off to the right. He must have caught the ribbon from the passing performer. The picture has dissolved completely now and you realise somewhat glumly that the performance is over – the six acrobats are stood on separate platforms clad in their monochrome costumes, the ribbons and ropes are all back in their place like before. The performers take a bow and the tent explodes in applause.

You leave the tent feeling awestruck and amazed; the ability of the acrobats was spectacular. After a moment to adjust to the cool air you move on to the next tent, or maybe you'll stop by one of the many refreshment stalls around the wondrous circus. The choice is yours.


	4. Playing with Fire

You see a tent that for some reason catches your eye, you push aside the curtain and enter, and the temperature drastically changes. You realise that the heat has increased somewhat and you look up at the nearest platform. Upon it stands a man clad in a coal black suit, he spins a pole with blazing white fire on either end, a blinding white, much like the blazing white fire in the iron caldron in the very centre of the circus. The fire on the end of the pole leaves a circle of light in the air as it whirls around. You watch in awe at the seemingly effortless way the fire artist spins the deadly flame around and around.

You wander around the tent, away from the first platform and over to another, on this one, two women spin chains with a black flame on one end and a white flame on the other. You gasp as the women whip the chain out and catch it around each other's wrist. The fires meet for a moment before sparking off each other and whipping back the way they came. It is amazing to watch, but something else catches your eye.

Moving away, you come to rest at the foot of a third platform, where a man stands with two blazing fires. You watch as he spins the first and then the second baton of fire in his bare hands, the fire licking up his arms but never harming them. He sees you and smiles, noticing your red scarf, and lifts one baton to his mouth. As the flames pass his lips, you can't help but cringe, remembering the time your skin was burnt by such a flame. But his lips, like his arms, remained unharmed as he closes his mouth around the fire. He glances at you before opening his mouth and taking out the still burning baton. The fire is lifted into the air, like some sort of trophy, and the man breathes out. Fire shoots forward, over your head, and you can feel the intense heat pass over your skin. You look up at the spectacular white flame as it licks through the air above you; never have you felt so transfixed by a fire. It's dancing fingers of flame die away as the man stops breathing on the baton. He gives you a small bow before throwing the other baton high in the air, it spins and you watch enthralled as it spirals through the air and back into the flame eaters' hand.

With a flourish the flame eater catches it, and the flames all instantly die out. The heat vanishes and the cool night air fills the tent again, you turn and see people not applauding, but leaving the tent in quiet adoration. The one performer you have watched for most of the duration of this performance jumps down from his platform and passes you. As he does he stops and looks at you, "Anyone of your status should try the new cocoa stall, it's wonderful." he says before joining the two women you saw earlier and walking over to another group of performers.

You wonder whether to take his advice or follow your own choices as you leave the tent. The night seems somewhat darker and more mysterious after the glaringly bright flames of the flame eater tent.


	5. Cocoa and Kindred Spirits

You walk among the tents pondering your next choice when a sweet smell hits you. You decide to follow your instincts and find the source of this splendid smell. Walking to your left you see a small stall with a woman stood behind it, a small black cauldron sits on the counter beside her, a miniature of the giant cauldron in the centre of the circus. Intrigued, you walk over to the stall, the woman smiles at you as you get closer. "Hello there." she says smiling, "Want some cocoa? It's fresh and hot, perfect for a cold night."

You gratefully accept and she pours you a cup of the steaming cocoa, the cup is small and made of paper, with spirals of black and white curling up the sides. You take the cup and sit at one of the wrought iron tables nearby. The swirling pattern of the circus is reflected in the chairs and table, and you realise that there are small stars interspersed among the swirls, small shining pieces of pearl carved into the black metal. As you sit marvelling at the little stars you absent-mindedly take a sip of your hot cocoa, which the woman at the counter assures you that you can't pay for. The cocoa explodes on your tongue, and you're certain there is more than just chocolate in that cup. You can feel the rich, hot liquid run down your throat and taste all the different unique flavours that were previously hidden in the cocoa. No wonder it smelled so good!

You sit a while longer at the splendid table, watching the crowds of people as they meander through the circus. A woman catches your eye from across the swarm of people, her red scarf, much like your own, lets you know that she too is a rêveur, a dreamer and an avid follower of the circus. She moves silently across the river of bodies and walks towards you, "Is anybody sitting here?" she asks.

You shake your head and she sits down opposite you, "Thank you, I'm Magda." she says offering a hand. You politely reply with your own name and shake her hand. "How are you enjoying the circus?" Magda asks.

You tell her about the fantastic experiences you have witnessed so far, all the mysterious goings on you have seen and the splendid performances. She in turn tells you about her journey through the miraculous circus, "It has changed again." She comments "It never has the same layout, but the cauldron is always in the centre and you can always tell the acrobats' tent, it is the largest after all." She notices your cup, abandoned on the table, "Is it any good, I haven't had the chance to try any yet, it is on my list after I was reliably informed to try it by one of the performers."

You tell her how amazing the content of the little cup is, and how much you enjoyed it. "I think I might have to try some now." Magda says rising from her chair, she returns a little while later with a cup of steaming hot cocoa. "It is delightful!" she exclaims excitedly, you laugh at her childlike pleasure, the circus does that, it gives you the pure happiness of childhood all over again. You ask where she first encountered this spectacular circus, "I was holidaying in England, up in Yorkshire, and it was there for the last two days of my holiday. Needless to say it was the highlight of my holiday. And then, when I went home to Poland, I heard that it was on its way to Warsaw. Naturally I followed it! I haven't stopped following it since."

She politely inquires where your first encounter was, and you dutifully tell your story. She sits entranced by you, smiling at the wonderful tale of the first time you experienced the sheer joy of Le Cirque des Rêves. You feel as though you have known Magda your entire life, and yet your entire time with her hasn't lasted more than half an hour. You drain your cup and throw it expertly into a nearby bin, you rise and bid goodbye to Magda, hopeful that you might see her again sometime when the circus is back in town, or maybe at a Rêveurs Dinner, it seems you both know a mutual friend, and Magda promises to ask him to prepare a dinner for all the esteemed rêveurs in the area.

"Thank you so much for sharing your table with me." Magda nods courteously, rising from the table and depositing her own paper cup in the bin. "And do have a look in the Ice Garden should you get the chance, I'm sure such an admirer as you won't regret it." She turns and disappears into the crowds again, leaving you to wander the circus on your own once again. You head in the general direction of the Ice Garden, following Magda's vague directions, and wonder momentarily if something else won't distract you first.


	6. Leap of Faith

You walk down the weaving circular paths of the circus, moving between the tents and among the crowds of people, until you come to a seemingly familiar tent. But of course you know – nothing is ever familiar in Le Cirque des Rêves, you had thought it was the acrobats' tent, it is nearly as tall, but much narrower. A feeling of curiosity overwhelms you. You notice as you begin to enter, a small plaque above the entrance with crisp black writing

_The Cloud Maze_

_An Excursion in Dimension  
A Climb Through the Firmament  
There Is No Beginning  
There Is No End  
Enter Where You Please  
Leave When You Wish  
Have No Fear of Falling_

With these instructions in mind you enter the tent, and stop amazed at the sight before you. The walls of the tent are painted completely black, with no hint of white anywhere on them, what is white, is the vast structure in the middle of the tent. It is made up of many different platforms which seem to float around the space, some are held in place by chains and ropes, others don't seem to be held in place at all, and yet it is these that hold the fastest.

You walk forwards, toward the grand structure, and notice something hit your foot. You had been so busy looking up at the platforms and bridges that you hadn't noticed the soft fluffy spheres that cover the ground and every available surface. Intrigued, you pick one up, it is lighter than air and indeed feels like you are holding a piece of the sky itself! You glance upwards and see a flurry of spheres floating down around you, a closer look reveals two young boys trying to hide among the spheres on the platform above you. They seem to be dropping the balls onto people's heads and then hiding among their weapons of choice. A devious smile passes your lips, why not play along? The youths grin at you from their platform and wait to see what you do. You roll up your sleeves and begin to climb up the structure until you are level with the boys, and without a word, you creep up behind them. They haven't seen your ascent, still hiding amongst the spheres, and are surprised when you dump an armful of the same spheres on their heads. They laugh as they turn around and jump up from their hiding place, "Run!" one of them shouts, the smaller of the two.

The duo scamper away, jumping from platform to platform and racing each other higher and higher. Soon they stop and look around, seemingly puzzled, they both peer down at you, "Aren't you playing any more?" the little one asks.

You are surprised, they want to carry on playing with you… well, best not to disappoint. You jump up and grab the edge of a platform on the next level, and pull yourself up; you hear a whoop of glee from the boys and double your efforts. You race along parallel to them until you reach a platform without a bridge. The gap between them is wider than the others you have climbed and passed so far. You look up at the boys, they have stopped, waiting for you, and are now sat on a platform which seems to be made entirely from paper, with their legs dangling off the edge. "It's the leap of faith." the larger, older boy explains.

You take another look at the gap in front of you; it will certainly take some faith to cross it. Taking a deep breath you back away from the edge, and take a running leap. You soar through the air for a moment before landing among the soft balls in a manner that no-one could call graceful. The boys are applauding you now, as though you were one of the acrobats who had just finished a dangerous trick.

You politely stand and take a small bow, much to the delight of the boys. You dust off your clothes, and look around, you are rather high up. A thought hits you, how on earth do you get down from this vast spectacle? You ask the boys, the larger one replies, "Some people have been climbing down, but I think the best way is to jump." And as if to demonstrate his point, the younger one leaps from the platform, his hands above his head as though he were diving, and plummets to the ground. You gasp and reach out to him, but he is too far away.

You look away as he reaches the ground, but only hear a muffled thud, like a stuffed toy dropped on a bed. You look down and see the boy laid in the spheres, totally unharmed. The older boy grins at you from the platform and follows suit, jumping from his perch and hurtling to the ground with a slightly heavier thump. Their laughter below assures you that the boy is safe. But now, alas, you are the only one left, there is no-one else to jump before you. You glance over the edge once more before stepping neatly off the safety of the platform and praying to God that you survive!

The first thing you register as you hit the ground is softness, like lying in a bed of feathers, but without the tickly feeling. You open your eyes, which you hadn't realised you'd shut, and release the breath you hadn't realised you'd been holding. Above your face two more faces peer down at you. "I told you it was the best way." The older boy grins.

You sit up and look around; you are back on the ground, facing the curtain that leads back to the exit. With little difficulty you stand up and walk on shaky legs. You say good bye to the boys, who say they hope to see you in the Cloud Maze again, and quickly exit. Your heart is still hammering against your chest as you walk out into the soothing blanket of noise and light that is the circus, with it's delightful smells and sounds and people all safely on the ground. With a light shake of your head you move away from the Cloud Maze, in search of something a little closer to earth maybe.


	7. Lose Yourself

You come across a tent which piques your interest, the plaque outside simply says _Labyrinth_. You decide to enter and see what is inside. The first room is a long tunnel with black fabric surrounding you, tiny twinkling stars sewn into the cloth. You walk along the tunnel, expecting a door or something at the end of it. But no such door appears to you. You look around and at first glance, can't see anything. A sudden panic washes over you when you realise the curtain marking the entrance to the tunnel has disappeared too. You take a breath and try a new tactic, running your hands along the walls until you find it, a small dent in the perfectly smooth wall marking the door. A light push, and it opens, allowing you to go further into the labyrinth.

Inside the next room is a forest, the trees are paper, with writing on each delicate leaf and branch. You look at one leaf and see a speech from Hamlet scrawling across it. On a branch of a different tree is a hand written love letter, and it feels almost too personal to read it. You turn away and glance around for the exit, but on not seeing it straight away, decide you would rather spend more time looking through the forest of words.

Further along the forest is a small clearing, where leaves gently fall from the trees and a breeze floats across you from nowhere. You pluck a leaf from the air and read the typed words on the leaf, you don't recognise where the extract is from, but you enjoy the light, joyful words anyway. You let the leaf fall to the ground and turn around on the spot, looking again for an exit. This time the exit is easier to find, it is in fact a tree with a door carved into it. You pull on the edge of the door and it swings open, revealing steps going down into darkness. Without a moment's thought you head down into the unknown, briefly you wonder how on earth they managed to make a circus tent go down, when you were sure you were on the ground just seconds earlier.

Down at the bottom of the steps is a shimmering lake, the walls of the room seem to go on forever, and you can see something down at the bottom of the shallow lake. You sit on the edge of the lake and reach in to the water, and are mildly surprised when it is warm. You grab the small white object glittering under the clear water and pull it up, as you do so a door swings open to your left. You are about to put the pearl back in the water when you notice some writing by your foot, it tells you to keep your pearl, and so you place it in your pocket.

In the next room is a pair of sphinx, one completely jet black, the other snow white. Their eyes blink open and look at you, "Do you wish to continue?" the white one asks, "Or do you wish to exit?" the black one asks.

You look between them for a while, pondering whether to carry on in this bizarre maze or exit and sample some other tents. With a sigh you choose the latter, you want to find as many of the little secrets and surprises of the circus as possible.

The black sphinx nods and it's partner seemingly falls asleep, leaving you to face the black sphinx alone. "So then, answer my riddle and you may exit, get it wrong however, and my friend's path will be yours instead."

You realise that if you get it wrong you just have to find a different exit to the maze instead… not such a terrible punishment after all. The sphinx smiles, it's cat-like paws crossing as it settles down, "Answer me this, what walks on four legs at dawn, two at noon, and three at dusk?"

_(A little audience participation is needed here. If anyone gets the riddle right, without looking it up, the next tent will be up presently, if not, I may have to leave you all waiting in the maze just a little longer.)_


	8. Past, Present, Future

You give your answer to the riddle: A human. The sphinx smiles at you, baring huge lion-like fangs all carved into onyx or jet, "Correct!" It turns to look to its left, "You may leave our abode now guest. And please enjoy your travels."

You watch as a perfectly ornate door begins to appear in the wall, curling decoration spiralling up the wall to create the door, like ivy grows up a wall to surround the door or window. You pull down on the huge silver doorknob and push the door open, it swings outward and you exit the labyrinth, but as you turn back to look at the door, it has become a curtain falling shut once more. Blocking you from the sphinx's gaze and the wonders in the labyrinth.

You turn back to the circus to find two children stood in front of you, although, they don't look much like children at all when you really look. There is too much wisdom and experience behind those bright eyes for them to be just children. You realise that they must be twins, if for no other reason than the flaming red hair they share. "Hello," the girl says.

You smile and relay the greeting, unsure as to whom these two are. It isn't until the boy offers a hand and says his name you understand, "Widget Murray, how do you do?"

The twins are infamous among rêveurs, they were born with the circus, and some say the circus will end with them also. Them, and the proprietor, Mr Clarke. "I was wondering how your night was going?" Poppet asks, it seems obvious to you now, that these two are the Murray twins.

You tell them how much you have enjoyed yourself and how wonderful the tents all are. Widget laughs, "Well, it wasn't much to do with us. Our predecessors are the real masterminds of Le Cirque des Rêves." Another rêveur tale, the midnight dinners that gave way to a midnight circus. A splendid idea, but surely not one that can be true?

"Well, we should leave you to enjoy the circus in peace, but if you want my opinion, see the illusionist tent, they are quite something." Poppet says with a knowing smile. Rumours of the illusionist tent have spread like wildfire, and you know there is no chance of you missing the opportunity to see it for yourself.

The Murray twins turn and leave, off to do whatever it is owners of such a circus do. You look around and see a small tent, somewhat hidden between the other, much larger tents surrounding it. You feel compelled to visit the miniature tent and so walk down the spiralling path until you are stood in front of the heavy curtain separating you from the inside of the tent. You push it open and are surprised to find a small sitting room, a sofa in plush black velvet sits just to your right and the room is comfortably cramped with furniture. You are just about to sit down when a melodic voice calls from behind a beaded curtain, "Come in."

You do as the disembodied voice says and push aside the beads, within the smaller inner tent sits a woman. The room around her is comparatively bare, no furniture lines the walls, there is only a table in the centre with the woman on one side and an empty chair on the other. "Please, take a seat." The woman says, "Have you come to see what your future holds?" she asks.

You decide that seeing as you are here, you might as well. A nod signals to her to begin. Her hand moves towards a deck of monochrome cards, it stops halfway and the fortune teller glances at you from behind her black veil. She instead pulls a black bowl of stars from beneath the table, "Do you have anything you acquired from the circus?" she asks.

Your thoughts instantly go to the pearl from the labyrinth, your hand delves into your pocket and gently scoop up the pearl. You place it on the table in front of you. The fortune teller smiles, "That will do nicely, do you have anything personal to you?" she asks.

You dig deeper into your pocket and find just the thing, you place it on the table alongside your pearl.

The fortune teller takes a handful of the shining silver stars and scatters them on the table, she sits silently for a moment, and you can see her eyes darting from star to star as she reads them like words on paper. Eventually she smiles and begins to tell you what she sees.

As she finishes, she looks up at you from beneath her veil, "Remember though, all that I say can change, inevitably, we make our own future… it's up to you to forge the path."

You thank her for her time and leave, feeling uplifted by her words, but also more ready to face the world outside the spectacular circus of dreams.


	9. Preserving the Moment

You wander past the huge cauldron in the centre of the circus, and stand to watch the spectacular white flames dance in the wrought iron cage that holds it. The flames lick up the swirling black iron, casting shadows across the circular courtyard. A couple walk past, look at the cauldron for a minute before passing by, on their way to another wonder of the circus.

You decide that it's time to move on, away from the marvellous cauldron like bonfire and towards any random tent, one catches your eye, it sits directly opposite to you. You walk straight across the courtyard towards the tent, which for some reason seems to shimmer slightly. Pulling aside the curtain and stepping inside seems like walking into the fire outside, there is only white! Everything around you is stark, blinding white.

It takes a moment of blinking for your eyes to adjust to the bright crisp white surroundings; no other colour mars the spotless white. As your eyes begin to agree with the colour, more details of the tent become clearer. This must be the ice garden. You decide that you might as well keep walking further into the garden. The path spirals through the tent, allowing you to see more and more of the tent as you follow it further around.

The trees are all beautiful crystallised ice, the leaves snap off at your touch, melting away before you really get to have a good look. Further along the path is a frozen rose bush, the roses are breath-taking, their petals all perfectly preserved in the ice. Deep within the garden, in the very centre of the tent, is a frozen trellis of roses and ivy with a small crowd gathered around it. You move closer, and realise that a young man is kneeling before a young woman, her blonde hair and purple dress a shock of colour in the icy white tent. Her breath swirls around her as she smiles down at her companion, you strain to hear the words being exchanged, though it is quite obvious what is going on here in the beautiful surroundings of the ice garden.

"Clara Rosaline Harper, will you do me the honour of being my wife?" the gentleman asks.

Clara's smile widens and she gives a single, relieved laugh, "Andrew, I thought you'd never ask!" she wraps her arms around Andrew's neck, "Yes, always, definitely yes." She says.

A polite applause begins around the couple, and dies down as Andrew speaks, "I was waiting for the right time." he says sheepishly.

An older woman with silvery hair that would fit in perfectly with the ice garden turns to you, "How lovely, and what a wonderful place to propose. I wonder where on earth they're going to have the wedding now." she chuckles.

You laugh watch the newly engaged couple, Andrew pulls a ring from his pocket and slips it onto his fiancé's finger. You stretch to catch a glimpse of the ring, it is a simple silver band with a red ruby set in the centre of a circle of black gems. Much like the circus, made of circles, white, black and inevitably in tradition of the circus, a single red element. These are true rêveurs.

You leave, not wanting to impose on the couple any further. You slip away into the darkness of the circus, a smile plastered on your face. You feel immensely privileged to have shared in the couple's moment of elation, the personal moment when they agreed to share their lives forever. And something deep down in you knows that it will be a wonderful marriage, it will last as long as the circus, forever!


	10. Journey of Experience

Walking through the courtyard you see a large tent with the curtains pulled far apart. A small queue has already developed outside. You decide to see what they are waiting for, and joining the queue. There are no more than 10 people in the line, who all wait patiently for their turn. You stand behind two teenage girls, they chatter loudly about different tents and certain boys they have seen during their night at the Circus. You stifle a smile as you listen somewhat distractedly to their babblings.

After a few minutes of waiting the line has gathered more people, so that there are about twenty people surrounding you, when a man steps out from within the tent and smiles genially at the gathered patrons. "Come in, come in." he says as he spreads an arm and unhooked a black velvet rope that blocks the entrance to the tent. The customers gladly do as told, entering the dimly lit tent. The curtain closes behind the last person, and suddenly lights rise up from the ground and illuminate the tent. In the centre is a huge carousel, with animals in beautiful monochrome. You are led to a specific animal that stands a little way to the right. The animal in question is a regal beast, a lion carved into wood. It's mane highlighted in black and white flecks on the smooth white wood.

You sit on the back of the lion and wait for the rest of the people to be seated. Eventually, everyone is seated on the back of a wooden beast and the carousel begins to turn. As it turns you notice something spectacular, the lion you sit on feels as though it is breathing! You can feel the sides of the beast moving in and out like it's really breathing. A sort of fantastic giddiness takes over you. It feels as though you are really sitting on a living animal. The ride spins faster and faster until you can't see beyond the front of your lion – the rest of the tent seems to blur into nothing, there is just you and the beautiful beast you sit on.

There is a moment somewhere when the tent truly melts away, and the lion becomes real. You can hear its roar and feel its breathing, its feet pounding the ground; it is no longer the carousel that pushes the beast around, but its own feet. It is real, wonderful magic, you know this now. You can feel the magic in this place, real true magic that weaves its way through the circus.

But suddenly, all the magic washes away, and there is just a somewhat dull tent with a carousel that winds around and around. Melancholy trickles through you as you realise that there is nothing magic about the lion anymore. You look at the person in front of you, it's one of the girls from the line. She turns sideways to hop of the horse she was sat on and you can clearly see a tear making a track down her cheek. You jump down off your own wooden beast and head towards the exit, discreetly hidden away at the other side of the tent, at the other side of the tent to the line of people waiting to experience the same miracle that you have just felt.

Outside in the cool night air, you take a deep, calming breath and walk away from the tent. You catch a glimpse of someone watching you, Poppet, the Circus co-owner. She smiles at you with a sad sort of smile and beckons you over. "The carousel?" she asks, you nod silently, too awestruck and upset at the loss of the magic to reply. "I felt the same when I first went on, in time I managed to appreciate the other side of it more, the magic of it." Poppet tells you as she walks beside you.

"If I may, I would like to suggest a trip to the pool of tears, it isn't far, I can take you if you like." she says.

You accept her offer, distantly curious about this pool of tears. Poppet links her arm through yours. You notice offhandedly that her dress is made up of many different cuts and scraps of pure white material. It is a wonder in itself to look at. Poppet notices you looking, "Splendid aren't they. An old friend made the originals when Widget and I were very young. I guess the costume simply became part of us eventually." She stops beside a respectful looking tent, quietly secreted away from the main hustle and bustle of the circus. "Here we are. I'll leave you to make your own decision. You don't have to go in, but it helps." And with a last encouraging smile, Poppet disappears into the crowd, her shock of red hair blending better than you would have thought with the swarm of people.

You turn to the curtain that separates you from the tent and ponder over whether to enter the tent or not.


	11. Deserving Love

A small cluster of people over to your right catch your eye. They are stood in a tight group all looking upward, but at what you can't tell from this distance. You take a last glance the way you would have gone before hurrying over to see what they are looking at. Weaving your way between the other patrons is quite easy; the problem comes when you have to push your way through the throng of people stood in the group. On expertly passing to the front of the cluster you realise they were looking at a statue…

It's just a statue. Granted it's a beautiful statue, like everything else in the circus, the carved man and woman who stand on the pedestal are dressed in black and white. But then, wait, are they moving?

Yes, yes they are, the statues are alive! You can't quite believe it. You blink twice and look again. Yes, the man's hand has moved just millimetres towards his companion's face. But it has moved. You are sure of that. A glance at the woman reveals that she too has moved millimetres closer to him, the gentle shift of material in her white dress tells you that. The dress in question is very beautiful, like an elegant ball gown.

You wonder whether they are alive or just automatons. A voice beside you answers, "Wonderful actors aren't they?" a man's voice says.

You turn to look at the man who has spoken. He stands watching the statues with a faint smile on his face. "Still the same actors doing it now as when I was a boy." He must be about fifty you guess, from the greying hair and wrinkled face. "The names Victor," he says, thrusting a hand towards you.

Politely you take it and reply with you own name, then you look back to the wonderful actors above you, "I always liked this pair, what do you think? Does he deserve her?" he asks.

You look back to him, surprised. "There's a story behind each of the statues, and the tents, but that's a much longer story, best told by Mister Murray, not me." He explains, "The story between these two is that the boy wants to show how true his love is. He immortalised his love by stopping time, so that it wouldn't destroy the beauty of his fiancé and his love. So people always ask whether that was enough to show he deserved her love in return."

You can't help but glance at the couple on the pedestal, their arms closer to entwined now, but still not quite there. "Well, I mustn't keep you," Victor says with a smile, "I have to get back to the others now, my sister will be complaining if I'm late again." He nods his head and disappears into the crowd once more, you realise after a moment that he must have been a rêveur, due to the red scarf he was wearing.

With a last look back at the two lovers on their stand, you yourself melt back into the crowds.d of people over to your right catch your eye.


End file.
